You normally don’t read much about Nicholas Moore and the positive contributions he’s making to the Ooltewah wrestling team.

He made a difference Thursday night in the friendly confines of the Theresa Harvey Gymnasium.

He recorded one of five pins for the Owls as they pulled away late for a convincing 45-26 victory over the visiting Soddy Daisy Trojans.

Never mind that Moore had a 5-0 lead early in the second period, only to have to fight for his life to keep from getting pinned at the end of that same two-minute span.

With the score tied at 5-5 entering the third period, Moore got a hard-earned takedown with 46 seconds remaining. He then got the pin call 15 seconds later as the win cut Soddy Daisy’s lead to 23-22 and gave the Owls some badly-needed momentum.

It took Nick Whitfield’s technical fall two matches later to give the Owls the lead for good, but Ooltewah coach Wendell Weathers felt like Moore’s pin was the one which made the biggest difference.

“We had some guys who really showed some heart out there tonight and Nicholas Moore was one of them at 140. He showed a lot of determination as his effort made a difference tonight,” the coach said after his team had improved to 8-2 overall.

“There were some close matches that went our way. Jordunn Galanto’s pin at 171 was another big one. He took advantage of a good opportunity, but our leaders took care of business and that was a key to our win.

“This was an important match as far as the Region Duals are concerned. We have to assume this was an elimination match for the loser.

"This is a really, really good win for our program. I know that Soddy Daisy is down right now, but just beating them in a dual meet is a big deal for us.

“Overall, I was pleased with the effort as the kids sensed how important it was to win tonight,” Weathers added.

Thursday was an especially-tough day for Soddy Daisy coach Steve Henry.

Not only did his team suffer another tough loss, but the popular coach was involved in a car wreck earlier in the afternoon.

He was a little shaken and he had a busted lip, but miraculously, he wasn’t seriously injured, although his vehicle was totaled.

“We’re at a point where this is the youngest team we’ve ever put on the mat. We’ve been battling this and that, but we’re just not ready to compete right now.

"We hope to be better in January and February, but this is about all we have right now.

“We gave a good effort and I can’t ask for more than that. Even when our guys were on their back, they were fighting hard. I can live with that. We just have to keep working and bring them along slowly. That’s part of the process,” Henry said.

The match started at 215 and the Trojans had the early 3-0 lead following Billy Swanson’s 8-4 decision.

Tyler Toon bumped up to 285 for this match and the move was a good one as his first-period pin gave Ooltewah its first lead at 6-3.

A decision by Jonah Smith at 103 and a first-period pin from Jacob Stevens at 112 gave the Trojans a 12-6 , but the lead changed hands again following a major decision from Tyler Harvey at 119 and a pin from Jacob Purkey at 125.

Jake Gamble’s second-period pin at 130 and Turbo Smith’s technical fall at 135 shifted the momentum back to the visitor’s side as the Trojans had their biggest lead at 23-16 when Smith’s match ended with 61 seconds remaining.

Moore’s pin trimmed the difference to 23-22 before Soddy Daisy’s Jacob Adams recorded a tough 11-8 decision at 145 as the Trojans led for the final time at 26-22.

Whitfield’s technical fall gave Ooltewah a 27-26 lead while Goose Manning’s pin at 160 extended it to 33-26.

Galanto’s pin at 171 was the clincher while Lamech Jones added a little icing on the cake with a forfeit at 171.

Soddy Daisy will be in action this weekend at the McCallie Invitational while Ooltewah will be in Cleveland at the Bradley Invitational.

OOLTEWAH 45, SODDY DAISY 26
103 – Jonah Smith (SD) dec. Garrett Sealor, 3-2;
112 – Jacob Stevens (SD) pinned Dain Thomas, 1:43;
119 – Tyler Harvey (O) major dec. Brad Peckinpaugh, 11-1;
125 – Jacob Purkey (O) pinned Andrew Vincent, 1:57;
130 – Jake Gamble (SD) pinned Hunter Hogan, 3:33;
135 – Turbo Smith (SD) won by technical fall over Matt Sealor, 4:59;
140 – Nicholas Moore (O) pinned Logan Buchanan, 5:29;
145 – Jacob Adams (SD) dec. Ryan Hubbs, 11-8;
152 – Nick Whitfield (O) won by technical fall over Tyler Johnston, 4:54;
160 – Goose Manning (O) pinned Luke Reno, 1:46;
171 – Jordunn Galanto (O) pinned Ethan Kelley, 3:52;
189 – Lamech Jones (O) won by forfeit;
215 – Billy Swanson (SD) dec. Jay Rudwall, 8-4;
285 – Tyler Toon (O) pinned Phillip Seeley, 1:23.

(Email John Hunt at tnmoose2002@aol.com)